EVANSTON,SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center Ill. (AP) — A cheerleader has dropped her federal sexual harassment lawsuit against Northwestern University.
Hayden Richardson filed the lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois in January 2021 alleging drunken fans and alumni groped her at school-sanctioned events in 2018 and 2019 and that administrators tried to cover up her complaints.
Online court records show Richardson agreed to withdraw the lawsuit on Monday and Judge Edward Chang approved the move Tuesday. The records don’t indicate why Richardson dropped the lawsuit. Richardson’s attorney, Andrew Miltenberg, declined to comment. Northwestern attorney Alan Pittler didn’t immediately return a message.
Richardson alleged in the lawsuit that the cheer team’s coach at the time, Pam Bonnevier, required female cheerleaders to mingle with powerful donors to help bring in more money for the university. She said that older men touched her over her uniform, picked her up without her consent, made sexual comments about her appearance and offered her alcohol even though she was underage.
The lawsuit named former Athletic Director Mike Polisky as a defendant. He stepped down in May 2021 after just a week on the job, saying “current challenges” would not allow him to lead effectively and he didn’t want to be a distraction.
The Associated Press typically does not identify people who allege they are victims of sexual assault or harassment but is naming Richardson because she has spoken publicly about her allegations.
2025-05-04 22:57346 view
2025-05-04 22:19874 view
2025-05-04 21:342073 view
2025-05-04 21:052616 view
2025-05-04 21:031999 view
2025-05-04 20:352726 view
Whether a "chainsaw," per Elon Musk, or "scalpel," as President Trump has said — the Trump administr
Gillian Anderson and Peter Morgan may no longer be members of the ex files. After the Sex Education
Shares of Trump Media, the company behind Donald Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, surged